Her Majesty The Queen attends Commonwealth Observance

In his Bidding the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, said:

In this year of the Commonwealth Games, we think in particular of the unique character of the Commonwealth, bringing people together from countries large and small, rich and poor, each with their own distinctive histories and traditions, and building from all the teams a coherent international community, Team Commonwealth.

United by ties of friendship, we gather here representing the Commonwealth’s rich diversity of faiths. We shall pray, each in our own way, that all may learn to depend on each, and each be dependable for all. Let us recall the words of St Paul: ‘If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General HE Kamalash Sharma read the Act of Affirmation to the Commonwealth.

The Address was given by Malala Yousafzai.

Reflections were read by the Right Honourable The Lord Coe CH KBE, and the Right Honourable The Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE.

Phillippa Yaa de Villers read Courage - it takes more and Joel Hodgson read 1 Corinthians 12: 12-16.

Prayers were said by Canon Christopher Tuckwell, Roman Catholic Church; the Venerable Bogoda Seelamiwala, Buddhist community; Rabbi Danny Rich, Liberal Jewish community; Anil Bhanot OBE, Hindu community; Arezoo Farahzad, Baha’i community; Maulana Raza Shabbar, Shia Muslim community; and the Reverend Martin Turner, Methodist community.

There were performances by: the Pipes and Drums of Gordon’s School, the Visual Statement Dance Company, and Laura Mvula.